


Love Is Just a Text Away

by Sparcina



Series: The Sexy Ships of Star Trek [3]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Academy Era, Blow Jobs, Bones needs a hug, Chekov tries to help, Fluff and Humor, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, texting gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 17:16:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17791496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparcina/pseuds/Sparcina
Summary: Leonard hadn’t meant to get drunk and text some genius kid about his feelings for a certain blond, blue-eyed wonder of a man. His life was already pathetic enough as it was, goddamn it.What he hadn't meant to do at all was to send that text to the wrong person.The sad truth was that Jim didn’t belong to him, or to anyone else. His best friend had made it clear eons ago that he was a one-night-stand type of guy who would only ever commit to a serious relationship with the Enterprise as its captain. And Leonard was many things, but he wasn't capable of warp, wasn’t wild enough, gorgeous enough or interesting enough to make one Jim Tiberius Kirk fall for him.So here he was, getting drunk and brooding.





	Love Is Just a Text Away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fireinmywoods](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireinmywoods/gifts).



> For fireinmywoods, who wrote the excellent [palimpsest](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14120037/chapters/32536674) story, which I love to bits.

“You should tell him how you feel, you know.”

Leonard almost dropped his phone. With a scowl that was known to send the most powerful Starfleet officers scurry for cover, he spun around on his stool and directed all of his formidable Bad Mood **™**  toward the blond Russian wunderkind, who met his gaze with a small but nonetheless genuine smile, calm as you please.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he bit out, hoping the kid would get the memo and leave him the hell alone. “Bartender, I need another one of those. Double.”

“Incoming, Dr. McCoy."

Leonard paid for the drink and directed his attention to the list of suggested drinks flashing above the bottles behind the counter, making a very conscious effort not to steal a glance at the dance floor, where Jim was surely hitting on yet another beautiful specimen of one gender of the other. It was pretty hard to ignore the urge, because he was the moronic planet orbiting both too far from and way too close to the sun that was Jim, but he was getting better at it (a basic survival skill), and well, the last time he'd been weak and glanced over his shoulder, the specimen in question had been a man who happened to work for  _him_ , and that maddening discovery had made it very, very fucking hard not to leave his fully-intent-on-getting-wasted spot to introduce the unsuspecting nurse to his fists... and then claim Jim on the spot.

The sad truth was that Jim didn’t belong to him, or to anyone else. His best friend had made it clear eons ago that he was a one-night-stand type of guy who would only ever commit to a serious relationship with the Enterprise as its captain. And Leonard was many things, but he wasn't capable of warp, wasn’t wild enough, gorgeous enough or interesting enough to make one Jim Tiberius Kirk fall for him.

So here he was, getting drunk and brooding. He was getting pretty good at that, too. Had spent a lifetime perfecting the method. The ex-wife had helped tremendously with both the scowls and his tolerance for alcohol.

God damn it, he was so pathetic.

“Here it comes,” announced the bartender, handing him the drink.

“Thanks.”

Leonard picked up the tumbler and emptied it in one go. The burning sensation in his throat didn't quite erase the sadness scalpel-ing its way through his chest, but if he kept drinking this acceptable version of what ought to be a good whisky, he would eventually forget why he was so miserable in a room full of not-so-miserable-and-definitely-horny people… and one genius seventeen-year-old who'd taken it upon himself to shadow the least social person around.

It seemed that other people beside Jim had poor survival skills, and _why was he still thinking about the one person he could never hope to have?_

“May I have a shot as vell?” inquired the bright-eyed kid.

“You’re not even of age," Leonard growled without turning his way, setting the tumbler on the counter with a little more force than necessary. "Stick to water, kid."

"But-"

"Just listen to me, goddamn it! You’ve got this very fragile thing called a brain, and it's functional; don’t damage it if you can help it."

The wunderkind frowned. An attractive red hair was trying to get his attention, but the kid’s whole focus was on Leonard, as Leonard’s whole focus was on the blond man who’d captured his heart.

"My name is not kid, but Pavel... And glaring at your friends is not nice, Leonard.”

“You’re not my friend,” Leonard replied distractedly before reaching for his glass, only to remember that it was empty. Again. For a second or two, he closed his eyes, pretending that he was alone in his room, and not in the company of the wunderkind of his promotion, who had obviously nothing better to do than stab him again by forcing him to face his unrequited feelings for his best friend.

Any time now, he would be getting a headache and go back to his room.

Any time now, the kid would get that memo.

Luck had always hated his guts.

"He vill never know if you do not tell him, Leonard,” the Russian persisted, accent thick with his determination. He is not zhat kind of person."

"You mean I'm not his kind of person," Leonard muttered before he could stop himself.

Chekov, of course, heard him over the ruckus of people getting wasted. He probably had a superior hearing on top of an exceptional intelligence. Arms crossed, he cocked his head to the side, as if Leonard was a problem that needed fixing. "People can be most oblivious to zhings most obvious,” he said slowly. “You can not know if vhat you vant is not vhat he vants unless you tell him zhe truzh."

Leonard was _that_ close to bang his head against the counter, and the fact that he didn't had much to do with the fear that Jim might glance his way again, thus forcing Leonard to pretend he was having fun. Having fun, these days, amounted to frighten the hell out of those idiots who came into Medbay for stupid reasons... not that Jim never did that, because he could have been a professional brawler in another life, but then Jim was the sun and Leonard was the stupid moon which couldn’t detach itself long enough to stop caring. Wanting. Loving.

... and here he was, thinking of his feelings again instead of getting wasted like every brainless cadet in this god forsaken bar.

He signaled at the bartender. "Another one."

When Chekov ordered some kind of sweet drink, clearly intent on keeping him company in his despair spiral for the evening, Leonard only sighed.

*

Being drunk made Chekov’s company much more enjoyable. Not that the kid wasn’t an interesting person in the first place, but Leonard in a bad mood liked exactly nothing and nobody.

Leonard couldn’t be sure how they ended up talking about the evolution of medicine, and even less how that subject led them back to Jim, only to switch to spaceship engines, but by the end of it, he was feeling a little light-headed but also much better in a way that only too much pointless talking and an acceptable amount of alcohol could make him feel. After his fourth drink, which he’d sipped much more slowly than the first three, he even stopped correcting Chekov every time the kid referred to them as friends. After all, they did spend some evenings together (mostly, when Leonard was being all pathetic at the local bar, but that was irrelevant).

Chekov left eventually, “to study hard for exam tomorrow.” Leonard found himself humming a song from his teens, and he picked up his phone almost without thinking, only to stare at the black screen with a frown. The wunderkind had told him something beside his plans to study, something that he should remember, because Chekov had repeated it at least twice, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember-

And then he did, and rather wished he’d forgotten.

_Tell him before someone else decides to stake zheir claim._

Leonard's hold on to the counter’s edge to keep his balance as the world went spinning. Now that he remembered the words, they were branded in his mind.

_Tell him before someone else decides to stake zheir claim._

He really wished he could do that. Make Jim _his._ But nobody could, not even him, his best friend, and Leonard wouldn't begrudge him that. After all, they were _best friends_ , and friends wanted only what was best for each other.

Leonard spent a long moment looking daggers at his screen. After a while, he found himself thumbing over the few names in his contact list. For some strange reason, he selected ‘Pavel Chekov’.  He didn't remember entering the kid's contact information, which meant that the little shit must have added himself earlier, while Leonard was busy being More Pathetic Than Usual.

He huffed in exasperation as he began typing.

>>> _Leonard (0:24):_ You're wrong. It doesn't matter if I tell him how I feel. I know Jim, ok, better than I know anyone, and what we already have is too precious for me to screw it over with unwanted feelings. But thanks anyway. I guess. <<<

The sound of cars passing by had Leonard look up in surprise. When exactly had he left the bar and why the fuck was he heading away from his rooms? And then he looked back down at his phone, wishing for a clue, perhaps, and finding none.

What the hell was he doing texting Chekov of all people? And talking about those goddamn unrequited feelings? Had he actually written Jim’s _name_? All right, so Chekov seemed like a good kid, but Leonard didn’t know him that well and rumors got started every day with much less evidence…

“You’re a fucking idiot, McCoy,” he told himself with conviction.

Angry with himself, he shoved the phone back into his pocket and started to walk away from the campus at a briskly pace, no wonder caring where his feet led him. His chest felt awfully tight, his palms sweaty, he felt drunk and ridiculous and God, he just wanted to stop yearning like he did. If only he was just lusting after Jim… But no, what he felt towards the other man was much more potent than mere physical attraction… not that he didn’t hunger for Jim’s body, because he sure did, and that lust had become even more unbearable after he’d stumbled upon Jim sucking off that guy from Engineering. Leonard remembered that moment so vividly that at times, when he was jerking off in a hurry, guilt at odds with arousal, all he could picture was Jim’s blue eyes on him with his lips wrapped around another guy’s cock and wishing with every last cell in his being that _he_ was the one Jim wanted, the only one-

When his phone pinged, Leonard didn’t stop to check it and just started walking faster. He was a fucking idiot all right. Getting drunk had done him no favor; he would just be even more impatient with the staff tomorrow and probably nurse a headache he really could do without, and-

His phone pinged again. And again.

Leonard dropped it in his impatience to take it out his pocket.

"Shouldn't you be studying or sleeping, Chek- oh, fuck no!"

The texts weren't from Chekov, and _fucking idiot_ didn’t even begin to cover it.

>>> _Jim (0:50)_ : Bones, where are you? <<<

>>> _Jim (0:53)_ : Hey, Bones, I don’t see you in the bar. <<<

>>> _Jim (0:54)_ : Pick up your damn phone, Bones. I’m worried about you. I swear I’ll be nice, even if you throw up on me again. <<<

>>> _Jim (0:55)_ : Bones? Please, we need to talk. <<<

There was a sad face emoji attached to the last one.

Leonard’s heart broke a little. His head whipped around at the sound of shoes on the pavement. For half a second, he thought he was being his usual paranoid self (which doctor in his right mind wasn’t?), and that it was some random passerby who wouldn't look at him twice, but of course it had to be Jim, and of course Jim had that worried look about him, and those enticing red cheeks from having run too hard for too long, and for God's sake, why, _why_ did had he let the top two buttons of this shirt undone?

Leonard tried to find cover in the shadows like the coward that he was, but it was a pitiful attempt at best, and anyway, Jim hadn't tricked his way through the Kobayashi Maru by being the type to overlook details, and a Leonard-shaped silhouette hunched over a table as un-casually as possible amounted to a little more than a mere detail, even if the man himself was but a footnote in Jim’s life.

"Bones!” Jim sounded relieved, no; elated (Leonard just wanted to throw himself off a cliff, but there was a serious lack of relief around here). “Shit, Bones, I thought I'd never find you, are you- Hey, what’s wrong?"

Leonard’s first reaction upon Jim reaching out for him was of course to lean into his touch, which he'd done plenty of times in the past, being the moon to his sun and all that nonsense poetry he couldn’t help waxing about Jim in the intimacy of his own head, but for once his survival kicked in after a few seconds and he recoiled so fast he almost tripped over his own feet.

"I'm fine," he snapped, because he had to say something, and it couldn't be the truth, couldn't be the feelings Chekov could so easily read on his face, feelings Jim could never be made aware of if they were to remain friends… and yet, those very feelings were out in the open now, because of one stupid mistake. “Listen, Jim, I was drunk- still am a bit, if you must know, and you should go back to your, I don’t know- Look, I don’t want to be the reason your night off isn’t- Just forget about what you…”

Leonard was still trying to figure out how to finish that sentence when Jim’s lips caught his in a searing kiss.

He forgot all about talking after that. All of his focus was poured into moving his lips against Jim’s, into savoring their softness, and the faint taste of coffee and spices beyond them. Leonard didn’t think, didn’t try to understand or justify anything; with Jim’s hands on his face and Jim’s mouth caressing his, the only thing he could possibly do was feel, and boy did he feel, every detail in the texture of Jim’s lips and tongue, every nuance in the taste that was uniquely his, which he sampled again and again with his tongue, exploring it with the same thoroughness he showed in every aspect of his life. Jim might have started that kiss, but Leonard took control of it in no time at all, was _allowed_ to take over, and to be able to do so, to feel this impossible dream of togetherness take shape in that delicious bruising of lips in his disbelief, well… He groaned low in his throat as Jim’s hands found the back of his head to hold him there, touch light and full of affection, his open mouth, offered to Leonard, a pledge of devotion. This kiss couldn’t go on forever, the perfection of the moment ought to shatter, and yet Jim seemed to melt into that kiss like it was oxygen.

Putting an end to that kiss was the hardest decision Leonard had ever got to make and he got to play God at the hospital every day. The sudden distance between them felt like a knife through the chest, and Leonard waited anxiously for Jim to tell him it had all been a joke, but he shouldn’t have worried; Jim’s hands only moved from his neck to frame his face, thumbs stroking his temples, and those bright blue eyes didn’t leave his face, curiosity and relief so clearly displayed around twin pupils dilated with desire that Leonard felt himself blush like a schoolgirl.  

“ _Bones_.” The breathy way in which Jim whimpered his name made Leonard very much aware of the rerouting of his blood southwards. He felt how his own hands squeezed Jim’s shoulders in response, and seeing Jim part his lips and moan was the single most beautiful sight to ever have graced his eyes… until Jim licked his lips, which promptly curled into the lopsided smile that haunted at least half of the Academy’s student body, and Leonard wasn’t so sure anymore. “I was beginning to think I would never make you see me like this.”

Leonard’s eyes bulged out in disbelief. “ _You_ thought _I_ would never see _you_ like this? Kid, I’m been in love with you for years.”

“I’ve been in love with you for even longer.”

It was on the tip of Leonard’s tongue to reply that this wasn’t a goddamn competition, and what a pair of idiots they were, but those blue eyes shone so brightly, full of the kind of honest delight that Jim only ever let Leonard see, and okay, that part about being idiots had to be said out loud.

“I know,” Jim agreed.

Leonard shook his head. Part of him basked in bliss, but frustration threatened it more than a bit. "Why didn't you say something, for fuck’s sake? You know, between the first gal and the forty-sixth? I was there the whole time and I-”

The flash of hurt on Jim's face, however brief, made Leonard want to slap himself for being an insensitive asshole. Even if he, too, felt hurt at having being denied for so long.

"I wanted to."

The plea in Jim's voice was too much to bear, so Leonard didn't try to resist _that_ urge and immediately pulled Jim into a hug. He told the little voice in his head that remarked how protective and possessive he already was to shut the hell up.

"But?" he prompted in the softest tone he could manage, one that he only ever used for Jim.

Jim sighed and attempted to hide his face in the crook of Leonard's neck.

"Hey, none of that now. Look at me, please. I need to see you."

Leonard felt himself pulled into the depths of Jim’s blue eyes, but his friend’s words still rung in his ear, the vulnerability in them a fist around his aching heart.

"It's... I don't know..."

Jim looked away and bit his lip. Damn it, when had Jim ever felt the need to hide from him?

"Jim. Please." Leonard cleared his throat, ran a tentative hand in that soft blond hair, relishing that simple motion he'd dreamt of doing for at least an eternity.

"I thought...” Jim licked his lips, but this time the gesture was nervous. “I think, still think, that you deserve better."

What the hell?

Mentally, Leonard cursed a blue streak. Once he was (mostly) sure he could keep his temper in check, he allowed his tongue free rein.

" _You_ think _I_ deserve better?" He didn’t try to keep the disbelief from his voice. “ _You_ ’re the one who deserves better, Jim. I’m- for fuck's sake, Jim, I’m just, I’m not like you- you’re a bright light, always moving forwards, you’re a fucking force of nature, the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met, and I would just hold you back if you- I would keep you from-”

“From what?” Jim cut him fiercely, eyes ablaze with no trace of his previous hesitation, hands dropping to grasp Leonard’s shoulders. “You’re my _anchor_ , Bones, you’re the reason I can shine, you’re so good for me, and I-”

“You’re being ridiculous-”

“You’re the better thing that ever happened to me-”

“For Chris’ sake, I’m just an old man with no-”

“You’re a fabulous friend and a brilliant doctor and I-”

Leonard covered Jim’s mouth with one hand before the adorable fool could make him blush further in embarrassment. “I do hope you realize that once you give yourself to me, and I to you, there will be no others, ever.”

He watched Jim’s throat bob and drank the undiluted bliss shining in those eyes with a greed he was only beginning to suspect about himself, where Jim was concerned.

“Bones.”

Jim held his hand between his own. Their mouths were so close, and Leonard was so hungry for Jim, so fucking tired of struggling against those emotions that need not be hidden anymore, and Jim looked just as ravenous as he brought Leonard’s hand to his lips and laid an open-mouthed kiss on his wrist.

"You should have told me, you know," he said in a low voice, breath hot in Leonard's ear. "Like before you told Chekov. Would have saved us years of turning around each other like fools, and made both our mornings and evenings so much nicer."

"What?" Leonard wasn't at his most eloquent right now, but how was he supposed to focus when Jim’s tongue was twirling between his knuckles in what was clearly foreplay?

“Let me show you, Bones,” Jim purred.

And then he sank to his knees in one graceful motion, turning off what part of Leonard’s brain that was somehow still producing thoughts. The sight of the man he loved kneeling, enthusiasm and happiness etched in his features, was so much more delightful than every dream Leonard had ever had he felt a sudden pang of panic at the prospect of waking up.

Nostrils flaring, Jim rubbed his cheek against the bulge in his pants, hands gently squeezing Leonard’s sides.

“I’m right here, Bones. I’m not going anywhere.”

“ _Fuck_.”

Leonard was still beating out of rhythm, but for an entirely different reason now: Jim was mouthing at the line of his erection through his pants like he’d been starving for it, moaning low and so, so prettily at his feet. Leonard let out a grunt and instinctively reached for Jim’s head, twisting both hands in that wild blond hair, anchoring himself. He may be Jim’s anchor, but right now, he was pretty sure that he was drifting without a bar or sails. And it was _glorious_.

“Fuck, Bones, I want you so bad.”

The want in Jim’s voice… That wrecked whimper, so full of pent-up desire… Leonard’s knees threatened to give and might have done just that if not for the wall at his back.

“Then have me, Jim,” he rasped. “Have me today and every day you feel like- _ah, fuck_!”

Jim freed his erection so efficiently that Leonard might have felt an inkling of jealousy if not for how eagerly the other man proceeded to fit the entirety of Leonard’s throbbing cock in his mouth, slurping noisily as he did (probably on purpose, too). And Leonard… Leonard had never stood any chance, and seeing Jim looking up at him with those bright blue eyes sparkling with wonder and mischief and _love_ , emotions and intents dancing around each other like so many bolts of lightning on a stormy night… He could only seek purchase desperately, first raking his nails on the brick wall at his back, then fisting both hands in Jim’s hair, and moaning again and again as Jim’s mouth caressed his length with gusto.

“You’re so-” Every nerve ending in Leonard’s body was alit with pleasure, his whole heart aflame with affection. “… beautiful,” he chocked out, pleasure coursing through him, erasing the bitter sorrow that had inhabited him for years. His balls tightened suddenly, and he climaxed with a shout. Jim swallowed every last drop and waited patiently for him to come down for his high, an easy smile on his lips.

“Fuck, that was…” Leonard trailed off, eyes zeroing on Jim’s lap. The little minx had pulled down his pants enough to take out his cock, which was soft but covered in cum. “Holy shit, did you just…”

“… come without touching myself because I loved sucking you off? Yep.”

Leonard’s brain flatlined for a moment. The reboot wasn’t exactly smooth, but Jim let him some time and climbed back to his feet to demand a hug. Leonard wrapped his arms around him and sure, it was on the possessive end of the hug spectrum, but Jim didn’t care, so he wouldn’t care either.

“How about you let me help you out next time around?” he said almost casually. “I feel deprived of something crucial here.”

Jim laced their fingers together and planted a loud kiss at the corner of Leonard’s mouth.

“You can do all the helping you want, anytime you want, Bonesy. After all, I’m yours, and you’re mine.”

A guy who may or may not have been in all of Leonard’s classes last year was standing on the sidewalk, gaping. Leonard flicked him the bird and then turned his whole focus toward a laughing Jim, whom he promptly pressed against the wall in a mirror of their earlier positions.

“Bones…”

“Anything you want, darlin’.”

They were still young, after all. And so was the night.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't get enough of those two, so I already have another OS on the way ^^'

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Love Is Just a Text Away (PODFIC version)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20107708) by [kribban](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kribban/pseuds/kribban)




End file.
